In the final hours before deadly Hurricane Helene made landfall last week, research teams from the University of Florida scrambled up Florida\u2019s west coast in a two-day blitz to set up storm-monitoring equipment that will provide valuable insights into environmental, structural and human survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sept. 25 \u2014 the day before Helene slammed into the Big Bend \u2014 about a dozen UF faculty members, staff and graduate students from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering arrived at Cedar Key\u2019s beach to install a UF-developed storm-monitoring tower called a Sentinel. These 33-foot-tall devices collect data on wind, storm surge, waves, and water quality before, during and after a hurricane makes landfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It reports data back to researchers in real time. The goal is to analyze the data collected on wind, surge and water impacts that could be used to mitigate coastal damage, property damage and structural vulnerabilities that could endanger life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was the Sentinels\u2019 first full deployment \u2014 a \u201clandmark moment,\u201d noted College of Engineering Interim Dean Forrest Masters, who helped launch the program and design the Sentinels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a first-of-its-kind monitoring station developed by civil, coastal and environmental engineers in our program to measure the dangerous effects of wind, storm surge, and waves on civil infrastructure,\u201d Masters said from Cedar Key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n